Brought Together by an Escaped Prisoner
by Copper's Mama
Summary: Sam/Andy fic. Spoilers for upcoming episodes. Sam and Andy deal with the tension of their changed relationship after a close encounter. Please read and review!


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_A Sam/Andy fic. _

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_Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Rookie Blue. _

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_A/N: Already, this one is based on the pictures for the "Big Nickel" episode, on abcmedianet dot com. That one won't air until the 26th, but I couldn't resist doing this fic after seeing the pictures. _

_I don't wanna give away too much, so I'll just get on with it. _

_Here's my interpretation of what 'might' happen. _

_I hope you guys like this, I know I'll love writing it. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

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Her heart pounded a staccato beat beneath her ribcage as she pressed onwards. She and Sam had split up, trying to cover more ground to search for the escaped prisoner.

She wouldn't lie - she was nervous. It would almost be worth it to put aside the awkward tension between them to have him beside her right then. She would feel a lot more secure.

The leaves blanketing the field under her feet crunched with every step that she took, the sound seeming to echo all around her. That noise, coupled with her quickened breathing and her thumping pulse, made it hard for her hear anything else around her.

She scanned the area around her as she moved, hoping to catch sight of the prisoner's bright-orange jumpsuit. It was kind of a dead-giveaway, which was why Sam had hoped it would be easy to catch him.

Andy supposed she had brought this on herself. She'd gone to Sam, knowing that he would make her feel wonderful after the disaster that had been Luke. And he had; it had been a perfect, wonderful night. But then morning had happened, and the reality of their situation had sunk in. So, they had to deal with the awkwardness now.

Andy's fingers tightened on her weapon, holding it out in front of her while she moved swiftly. She thought she heard a twig snap behind her, followed by a rushed, thumping noise. When Andy turned to investigate it, she found herself being tackled to the ground.

An involuntary yelp left her mouth, and then she started struggling against him. "Get off me!" she shouted out, trying to bring her weapon up to point it at him.

He anticipated the movement, grabbing her wrist and knocking the gun out of her weakened grasp.

She kicked and jerked her body, trying to force him off of her. She tried using her knees as leverage, hoping to roll them over so she could regain control of the situation, but he was settled too firmly over her waist. His body straddled hers, and she knew it was a losing battle. Andy opened her mouth to scream for Sam, but the prisoner's hand came down, clamping over her mouth.

"Hush up, now," he warned her, his nasty breath covering her face as he lowered his head to hers.

Andy closed her eyes in disgust, trying to get away, but he held her firmly. She couldn't get leverage with her left hand, so she brought her right one up, attempting to crack him in the jaw, but he smacked her hand back down, pressing down on her arm to keep it still.

"Pretty stupid, bitch," he commented, the hand over her mouth pressing down harder. His hand shifted, moving up slightly to settle over her nose as well.

Panicked, Andy realized that he was trying to suffocate her. Her eyes widened, and her struggles increased, but they were of no avail. She feared that she might actually die at the hands of this criminal, alone in an abandoned field.

A sudden movement caught her eye, but she didn't have time to grasp what was happening. Sam's body came flying out of nowhere, tacking headlong into the prisoner. Sam forced the man's arms off of Andy, using his momentum to shove him off of her entirely.

The prisoner put up a fight - as expected - but anger and adrenaline fueled Sam, and after a few hits, the man was unconscious.

Sam closed his handcuffs over the man's wrists before he quickly went back to Andy, crawling on his hands and knees. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her, looking over her.

Her breaths came in quick gasps, but she nodded her head. "I'm fine."

"Jesus," Sam whispered, his emotions overruling him. Without thinking, he pulled her up from the ground, wrapping his arms around her.

Andy froze momentarily, but then hugged him back. It was a relief to know that he'd been just as worried as her. Maybe even more so.

Sam pulled back almost as quickly as he'd hugged her, looking into her eyes. "You're sure you're okay?"

Andy nodded her head once more. "Yeah."

He breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at the unconscious captive. His jaw clenched, thinking of what the man had been trying to do to her.

Their eyes met again, and for a moment, they were lost in each other. All the tension, all the awkwardness ... it was gone. Replaced, for the moment, by fear and relief. They sat on the bed of leaves, barely a few inches apart, the only audible sounds were their panted breaths. The looks in their eyes said more than their mouths ever could. They expressed sorrow and gratefulness. They exhibited worry and regret. Their eyes apologized and forgave each other for everything that had and hadn't been said.

Andy opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't know what to say.

Sam seemed to understand, for all he did was nod his head. Standing up from the ground, he held his hand out to her.

Andy took it, feeling him squeeze hers gently after she was standing.

He held on for longer than he had to, using his other hand to push the button on his radio. He informed the dispatcher that they'd apprehended the subject, and were making their way back to the van. He relayed their current position, and then released the button.

The dispatcher expressed her relief, informing them that another unit would be meeting them back at the van.

All the while, Sam's hand encased hers, his heat pouring into her body. He only let go to rouse the prisoner, hauling him to his feet so they could begin their trek back to the van.

The man beaked off the entire way back, but Sam and Andy ignored him. They were too lost in their own thoughts about each other, thinking of what had almost happened.

Neither one of them wanted to have any regrets, and both of them knew that their relationship had permanently changed. Changed, for the better.

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_The end. _

_Well, what did you guys think? Like it, hate it? _

_I SO can't wait for Thursday's episode, 'cause Sam and Andy FINALLY get together ... eee, so excited! I just hope they don't make us wait until the end of the episode ... _

_Reviews are appreciated, flame if you must, but constructive criticism is much more useful. _

_Until next time ...! _


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